Industrial truck having shiftable uprights



Nov. 29, 1960 F. A. VOSSENBERG 2,962,180

INDUSTRIAL TRUCK HAVING SHIFTABLE UPRIGHTS Filed June 13, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. fin/1x14. Vossavaaes Nov. 29, 1960 F. A. VOSSENBERG INDUSTRIAL Filed June 3, 9 8

TRUCK HAVING SHIFTA BLE UPRIGHTS 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 H m/v ,4. Vows/veers B Arm/ 06v United States Patent INDUSTRIAL TRUCK HAVING SHIFTABLE UPRIGHTS Frank A. Vossenberg, Stralford, Pa., assignor to The Yale and Towne Manufacturing Company, Stamford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed June 13, 1958, Ser. No. 741,908

3 Claims. (Cl. 214--674) This invention relates to industrial trucks, and, more particularly to trucks of the class in which a load carriage is supported for vertical movement on a pair of uprights that are pivotally mounted on the truck frame.

. Heretofore, trucks of the class described have embodied a particular disadvantage in that the height of the uprights made it necessary to ship the trucks from the manufacturer to the purchaser either in a disassembled condition or by special routing that was necessitated because of the problem of underclearance of bridges, overpasses and wires. This route spotting is time consuming and costly, and was necessary if the truck was to be shipped by fiat car, and even in cases where the truck was adapted for highway travel under its own power.

I have conceived by my invention an effective solution to the problem presented and have actually constructed a successfully operating truck based on that concept.

In essence, my invention resides in the utilization of means whereby the uprights may readily be moved to a position approaching the horizontal, whereby to adapt the truck for highway travel and for shipment on a flat car, for example, without regard to underclearances.

- As a feature of myinvention, I provide bearing means for the uprights comprising coacting parts normally held unassembled and about which the uprights may be pivoted to a position approaching the horizontal when the bearing parts are assembled.

- As a-most important feature of my inventiomthe bearing axis about which the uprights are rotatedto bring them to a position approaching the horizontal passes through a medial portion of the uprights themselves and is spaced from the normal tilt axis that is provided adjacent the lower part of the uprights. More particularly, the axis about which the uprights pivot is actually shifted from the normal tilt axis to a second location spaced from the tilt axis along the length of the uprights.

As a further feature of my invention, I utilize the same rams to tilt the uprights to a position approaching the horizontal that are normally used to tilt the uprights about the usual tilt axis adjacent the lower end of the uprights. These same rams are also used to return the uprights to a position for normal tilting operation.

As a still further feature of my invention, the bearing means about which the uprights may be tilted to a position approaching the horizontal are readily detachable from the truck so that after the truck has reached its destination, the bearing means may be removed and returned to the shipper for re-use; or, if desired, the consignee may retain these bearing means and remount them on the truck for shipment to a further location at a later date.

I have thus outlined rather broadly the more important features of my invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that my contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of my invention that will be described hereinafter 2,962,180 Patented Nov. 29, 1960 ICC and which will form the subject of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception on which my disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures for carrying out the several purposes of my invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions as do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention, in order to prevent the appropriation of my invention by those skilled in the art.-

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description, and is shown in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of the specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a truck of the class described with the uprights tilted to a position approaching the horizontal;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view illustrating the uprights in normal load handling position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating the demountable bearing means, partly in section, supporting the uprights in position to be tilted to a position approaching the horizontal; and

Fig, 4 is a side elevational view illustrating the uprights in the position shown in Fig. 3 in broken lines, and in fully tilted position in solid lines.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, there is shown an industrial truck 10 having a main frame 11 supported on dual front wheels 12 and on rear wheels 14, and provided with an operators station 15. A pair of uprights 16 are supported on the truck frame for guiding vertical movement of a load carriage 17 in a manner well known to those skilled in the art and which constitutes no part of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 2, each of the uprights 16 is provided with bearings comprising upper and lower fulcrum caps 18 and 19, respectively, by which it is mounted for pivotal movement about opposed pivot pins 20 that are affixed to the frame 11 by brackets 21. The frame of the truck also carries a pair of opposed pivot pins 22 by which the cylinders of hydraulic rams 24 are supported for pivotal movement relatively to the frame. The remote ends of the piston rods 24 are pivotally connected, as at 26, to brackets 27 constituting part of the uprights.

From the description thus far, it will be seen that the hydraulic rams 24 may be actuated to tilt the uprights 16 forwardly or rearwardly, relatively to the truck, about a horizontal axis passing through the pivot pins 20 adjacent the lower ends of the uprights.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, it will be seen that I contribute a second pivotal axis at a relatively high position above the normal tilt axis upon which second axis the uprights 16 may be supported for pivotal movement relatively to the truck frame. In order to provide this second axis, I mount upon the truck frame an assembly comprising a pair of generally triangular side plates 29. These plates 29 are mounted each at one side of the truck, and spacer plates 30 extend across the truck and connect the side plates 29 together. For convenience, I have chosen to mount one corner of the plates 29 on the same pins 22 by which the cylinders of the rams 24 are mounted on the truck frame, although it will be appreciated that the plates 29 may be mounted on the frame without reference to the rams, as in a case where the rams are less accessibly located.

Upon the uppermost corners of the side plates 29, I mount bearings 31 that are each adapted to receive a pivot pin 32. These pins 32 also pass through openings in the brackets 27 and may be retained in position by opposed nuts.

I shall now describe the operation of my novel construction. When the truck is in its normal operating position, shown in Fig. 2, and it is desired to reduce its overall height for shipment, for example, the fulcrum caps 18 and 19 are disassembled and the uprights are lifted from the pivot pins 20 by a jack or other device, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3. This movement places the upper brackets 27 in position relatively to the bearings 31 on the plates 29 to receive the pins 32 so that the uprights 16 are supported for pivotal movement relatively to the truck about the axis of the pins 32. The jack or other lifting device is removed and the hydraulic rams 24 are extended, thereby tilting the uprights from the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 4 to that shown in solid lines. Braces 34 are then secured between a convenient portion of the frame, the lower pivot pins 20, for example, and a point adjacent the lower end of the uprights in order to stabilize the uprights in position for transport.

When the truck reaches its destination, the braces 34 are removed, the rams 24 are retracted, returning the uprights to the position shown in Fig. 3 and in broken lines in Fig. 4, the uprights are supported by a jack, the pins 32 are removed and the uprights are lowered to enable the fulcrum caps 18 and 19 to be assembled and brought into coacting engagement with the pins 20. The jack is removed and the plates 29 and the spacer plates 30 are dismounted from the truck frame leaving the truck ready for normal operation, as shown in Fig. 2.

The plates 29 and 30 may be returned, along with the braces 34, to the manufacturer for re-use on other trucks, or they may be retained by the consignee for convenient movement of the truck from one job site to another.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have contributed a novel construction providing, in addition to the normal tilt axis, a second axis about which the uprights may be pivoted to a position approaching the horizontal by the same rams that serve to pivot the uprights about the normal tilt axis. It will further be seen that when the uprights are in a position approaching the horizontal, they pass on either side of the driver affording excellent visibility for highway travel. I have also contributed a novel method of accommodating a truck of the class described to normal underclearances of bridges, overpasses and wires.

I believe that the construction and operation of my novel tilt-back channel assembly will now be understood,

and that the advantages of my invention will be fully appreciated by those persons skilled in the art.

I now claim:

1. In a truck of the class described, a pair of uprights, detachable bearing means comprising coacting parts on said truck and said uprights mounting said uprights for normal tilting movement relatively to said truck about a fixed predetermined axis adjacent the lower end of said uprights, a ram extending between said uprights and said truck for tilting said uprights on said bearing means, second bearing means for said uprights comprising coacting parts on said truck and on said uprights normally held unassembled, means for detachably securing said parts together to provide a second fixed axis in the medial zone of said uprights for tilting movement of said uprights thereabout, and said ram tilting said uprights about said second axis when said second bearing means are assembled and said first bearing means are disassembled.

2. In a truck of the class described, a pair of uprights, a demountable bearing assembly on said truck and on said uprights mounting said uprights for normal tilting movement relatively to said truck about a fixed predetermined axis adjacent the lower ends of said uprights, a ram extending between said uprights and said truck for tilting said uprights on said bearing assembly, bearing means demountably supported on said truck and said uprights to provide a second fixed axis in the medial zone of said uprights for tilting movement of said uprights thereabout, and said ram tilting said uprights about said second axis when said bearing assembly is disassembled.

3. In an industrial truck of the class described having a pair of uprights, bearing means mounting said uprights for tilting movement relatively to the truck on a fixed predetermined axis adjacent the lower ends of said uprights, and a ram for tilting said uprights on said bearing means, the method of reducing the overall height of the truck that comprises disassembling said bearing means, assembling second bearing means on said truck to provide a transverse second tilt axis for said uprights in a medial zone thereof, and tilting said uprights by said ram about said second axis to bring said uprights to a substantially horizontal position.

Anthony Aug. 5, 1941 Gran et al Apr. 26, 1955 

